A recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations will not change the fundamental realities of the Middle East, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Sunday, adding that he believed Washington would veto the proposal at the Security Council since it is “committed to Israel’s security.”

Earlier Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to an upcoming UN vote on Palestinian statehood, said in a cabinet meeting that “the Palestinians’ wish to become a permanent UN member… is bound to fail because they have to go through the Security Council.”

He said that even though the Palestinians can opt to turn to the general assembly, “it does not have the same significance of the Security Council, and that is not the Palestinians’ stated goal.”

Speaking to NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, former president Clinton said that the United States must “contain the fallout” from the Palestinian UN bid expected later this week, adding that “when this is over the underlying reality won’t change, and we still believe there should be a Palestinian state and we still believe that there should be cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors.”